The Collarbone
The collarbone is an interesting one (nerd alert: all bones are interesting!), for many reasons:
The collarbone is colloquially named for its location relative to the bottom edge of a collared shirt. Its proper name is “clavicle”, which is Latin for “little key”. Keys of today must be much smaller than keys of ancient times: if my house key was the size of my collarbone, the last thing I’d call it would be “little key”. More like a “big pain”.
The clavicle is classified as a “long” bone, which means its length is significantly greater than its width and thickness. Its actual length is roughly the same as your hand—from palm to finger tips. And rather than being a straight bone, the clavicle’s shape, when viewed from above, forms a subtle S-curve.
The clavicle functions, in part, as a connector. It rests on the sternum (your breastbone) and runs horizontally towards the shoulder where it joins the shoulder blade. Hanging from that shoulder blade is your entire arm. In other words, your arm is connected to the rest of your skeleton only by way of the clavicle!
A couple of fun facts about the clavicle: 1) it is the body’s only long bone that lies horizontally and 2) it is the most commonly broken bone in the human body—largely thanks to contact sports and falls onto an outstretched arm.
Bones serve a few important functions, regardless of where in the body they are found. One is providing sites for muscles to attach to. Five muscles attach to the clavicle, including the deltoid (your shoulder muscle) and the pectoral muscle (your chest). That’s pretty impressive considering the clavicle’s diminutive surface area. Bones also protect soft structures. The nerves and blood vessels that supply your arm travel beneath the clavicle as they move from the side of the neck into the armpit.
Shoulder dysfunction (pain, limited movement, weakness) can partly be due to restricted movement of the clavicle. Movement of the clavicle happens where it meets the breastbone, operating similar to a windshield wiper: moving up & down as well as forward & backward.
During a massage at our clinic, you might notice your RMT moving your arm about. This helps us assess how freely your clavicle is moving. Massage applied to the upper body often helps restore healthy clavicular motion.
The collarbone is colloquially named for its location relative to the bottom edge of a collared shirt. Its proper name is “clavicle”, which is Latin for “little key”. Keys of today must be much smaller than keys of ancient times: if my house key was the size of my collarbone, the last thing I’d call it would be “little key”. More like a “big pain”.
The clavicle is classified as a “long” bone, which means its length is significantly greater than its width and thickness. Its actual length is roughly the same as your hand—from palm to finger tips. And rather than being a straight bone, the clavicle’s shape, when viewed from above, forms a subtle S-curve.
The clavicle functions, in part, as a connector. It rests on the sternum (your breastbone) and runs horizontally towards the shoulder where it joins the shoulder blade. Hanging from that shoulder blade is your entire arm. In other words, your arm is connected to the rest of your skeleton only by way of the clavicle!
A couple of fun facts about the clavicle: 1) it is the body’s only long bone that lies horizontally and 2) it is the most commonly broken bone in the human body—largely thanks to contact sports and falls onto an outstretched arm.
Bones serve a few important functions, regardless of where in the body they are found. One is providing sites for muscles to attach to. Five muscles attach to the clavicle, including the deltoid (your shoulder muscle) and the pectoral muscle (your chest). That’s pretty impressive considering the clavicle’s diminutive surface area. Bones also protect soft structures. The nerves and blood vessels that supply your arm travel beneath the clavicle as they move from the side of the neck into the armpit.
Shoulder dysfunction (pain, limited movement, weakness) can partly be due to restricted movement of the clavicle. Movement of the clavicle happens where it meets the breastbone, operating similar to a windshield wiper: moving up & down as well as forward & backward.
During a massage at our clinic, you might notice your RMT moving your arm about. This helps us assess how freely your clavicle is moving. Massage applied to the upper body often helps restore healthy clavicular motion.